Life — October 8, 1908 — page 11: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# Analysis The top engraving titled "THE FIRST DECLARATION (The Origin of the Custom House Nuisance)" depicts demons or devils on a boat, apparently satirizing the origins of bureaucratic customs regulations—suggesting they have demonic origins. The main article criticizes Police Commissioner Bingham's claims that Jews commit half of New York's crimes. The text argues this statistic is inflated and unfairly blames Jewish immigrants. It notes that if Jews actually committed crimes at rates Bingham claims, they'd be "twice as criminal as the average New Yorkers" despite being "six per cent" of the population—using sarcasm to expose the commissioner's prejudiced logic. The remaining brief items are unrelated humor pieces about a dancer, a pig, and a politician named William Hearst.